Dependable BlackBerry with Wi-Fi calling capability

The BlackBerry Curve 9360 is neither a great smartphone nor a bad smartphone, but it's agreed that it's a phone that only a BlackBerry loyalist could love. The lone dissenter is Engadget.com's Zachary Lutz, who calls the BlackBerry Curve 9360 an "outright disaster." T-Mobile customers looking for an upgrade to their BlackBerry should read on.

The BlackBerry Curve's keyboard and display are well liked

Most reviewers find the Curve 9360 too similar to its predecessor, the Curve 3G 9300, although PCMag.com's Jamie Lendino still likes its trim and classy look. Its 2.5-inch, 480-by-360-pixel resolution screen is better than the Curve 3G's 320-by-240-pixel display. All reviewers are pleased with the keyboard, praising it for its raised, "clicky" and spacious keys.

Wi-Fi calling is a standout feature, but the Curve 9360 won't blow you away otherwise

The BlackBerry OS 7 feels outdated to Engadget.com's Zachary Lutz when compared to other mobile operating systems like Android and iOS, in spite of being the newest platform to come out of RIM's offices. Unlike the OS 7, the Curve 9360's capacity to support T-Mobile's Wi-Fi-based calling is well praised. Call quality of regular voice calls receives mixed reviews, with PhoneArena.com editors noting "flat sounding voices" through the earpiece. The phone's data connection and WebKit-based browser also receive mixed reviews -- Lutz calls the browser "antiquated and slow," while others find surfing the web on the phone sufficiently fast.

The Curve 9360's 5-megapixel camera takes images with pretty decent quality. And while the phone's super-small 512 MB storage doesn't sit well with any reviewer, all agree that the phone's support for microSD cards up to 32 GB in capacity makes up for it. (You'll have to supply your own, though.) Experts find battery life impressive, with PCMag getting a total continuous talk time of 12 hours and 29 minutes -- much more than the phone's rated talk time of 5 hours.

The bottom line

If you're loyal to BlackBerry, the Curve 9360 is a good bet. Its keyboard is well liked, and its display is an upgrade. On the other hand, surfing the web could be a trying experience, and you'll need to invest in a microSD card to get decent storage space.

Unlike other reviewers, Zachary Lutz thinks that even "dedicated BlackBerry users should avoid the Curve 9360 at all costs." He also says that the phone lacks originality, and instead recommends the Torch 9810.

Nicole Lee says that the Curve 9360 doesn't look much different from its predecessor, but she mentions that it has a lot of improvements under the hood, including NFC support, which enables mobile payments and other functions. She thinks, however, that the side buttons are too "skinny" and that the lack of HD support is disappointing.

Jamie Lendino says that the BlackBerry Curve 9360 isn't a standout smartphone, but he believes it's a solid budget device. He mentions that the phone's reception is average, but voice quality is flawless.

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